Automatic feeding device for tunneling-machines



a bum dots mafia/4 U i/Q97 '2 Sheets-Sheet .1. F. K. COPELAND 8v W.VIELHABER. AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR TUNNELING MACHINES.

Patented June 4, 1895.

W M I MM (No Model.)

Witwaoow (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. I. K. COPELAND & W. VIELHABER.AUTOMATIC FEEDINGDBVIGE FOR TUNNELING MACHINES. No. 540,299.

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Warren STATES PATENT tries.

CHICAGO, ASSIGNORS TO THE DI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE AMOND PROSPECTING COMPANY, or

FOR- TUNNELING-MACHINE S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,299, dated June 4,1895.

Application filed oetoter 5, 1891.

To aZZ whom it may concern.- A I Be it known that we, FREDERICK K. Corn-LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winnetka, and WALTERVIELHABER, a sub-' 5 ject of the Emperor of Germany, residing atChicago, in'the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Feeding Devices forTunneling-Machines, of which the follow- IO ing is a specification.

Our invention relates to the feeding forward of the cutter frame oftunneling machines of the type illustrated in Reissue Letters Patent,granted to Reginald Stanley, No.

11,333, dated May 9, 1893, in which there were employed a main frameheld stationary during the cutting operation, and a cutter frame havinga central threaded shaft mounted in the main frame and with whichengines on the main frame engage by suitable gearing connections so asto rotate the shaft; and a nut supported on the main frame engaged withthe threaded shaft so as to cause the forward feeding of said shaft andcutter frame through the 2 5 rotation of the same. The ordinary coal inwhich these tunneling machines are most generally employed varies indensity or hardness, arising from foreign matters contained in the coal,such as sulphur balls, which are exoffering great resistance thereto, asWelles other foreign substances. These are of course found at irregularintervals in the body of coal, and while for the cutting of ordinarycoal the machine may be advanced rapidly without fear of injury to thecutters or mechanism, it is practically impossible for the operator toknow when the machine first strikes any such hard body, and the resultis that if the nut sustaining the strain on the cutter frame andtransferring it to the main frame were held rigidly, a very heavy strainwould suddenly be brought upon the machine, which would lead to thebreaking either of the cut- 5 ters, the gearing, or some other partthereof. Itis therefore extremely desirable in this class of machinerythat some means be employed providing for the rapid feeding of thecutter frame when encountering the ordinary resistance but permitting ofthe slow feeding or the Serial No. 407,765. (No model.)

cessation of feeding where the cutter frame encounters such hardobjects; and the present invention has for its object the provision ofsuch mechanism as specially applied to this class of tunneling machines.

It consists in certain improvements, in the braking mechanism employedin these tunneling machines to overcome the difficulties above referredto, as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a side view of an entry-driving ortunneling machine to which our improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is anenlarged sectional View through the threaded shaft and resistance-plateat the rear of the machine, illustrating the invention. Fig. 3 is an endview of the resistance-plate and brake supported thereon furtherillustrating the invention.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

In the drawings Ais the main frame of the machine in which is mountedthe rotary cutter frame K having the central threaded shaft A having thethreaded surface Ct, the forward end of the cutter frame K beingillustrated with the same cutter arms and central anger is as usuallyemployed with said Stanley machine, the machine cutting a kerf for thefull diameter of said cutter frame, and the main frame being anchoredduring the cutting operation and being drawn into the cut made by thecutter frame so as to prepare for a fresh cut thereof. It will benoticed that the engines L are mounted on the main frame and turn theengine shaft Z, which, by a train of gearing not necessary to refer toseparately, drives the gear wheel Z engaging with the threaded shaft Aby a feather fitting within a groove. (Not shown.) At the rear end ofthe main frame is the resistance plate 95 D which is supported from themain frame by the heavy bolts E, and mounted Within this resistanceplate is the nut B which engages With the threaded shaft A and acts tofeed the same forward as said shaft is turned. I00

For certain purposes in such Stanley machines, as for instance thedrawing forward of the mainframe when the cutter is anchored, this nut Bis' provided with a geared face I) and is rotated around the cuttershaft thereby, gear connections from the pinion Z on the engine shaft Zbeing made when desired with such gear face b upon the nut B.

The nut B has an annular collar or shoulder B in front of the resistanceplate D and between such shoulder and the resistance plate is theball-bearing C, such bearing being employed to overcome the frictionbetween the nut and resistance plate, so providing for the easy turningof the nut when desired, and for the entire control of the nut infeeding forward the cutter frame through the braking mechanismhereinafter described. The rear plate of this ball-bearing is attachedto the resistance plate by a dowel pin 0. By the employment of thisball-bearing in this position it will be seen that where the nut is leftfree to turn, as the friction between the nut and resistance plate isovercome by the ball-bearing and considerable friction is createdbetween the threaded shaft and nut, the nut will normally turn with thethreaded shaft so that there is no forward feed of the cutter framethrough its shaft.

As above stated, the nut B has its main bearing in the resistance plate,and it extends through the same to the rear of such plate, and in therear of such plate has the braking or friction surface m, and supportedon said resistance plate D is the strap brake F which fits around thefriction surface of the nut and holds the same from turning the resultbeing that the feed of the cutter frame is regulated according to thefriction applied through such brake to the nut. By means of suchfriction brake the nut is held from turning unless the friction of thethreaded shaft upon the inner surface of the nut is so great as toovercome the friction of the strap brake thereon, in which case the nutturns within the brake,

permitting the rotation of the cutter shaft, by

the engines, but providing for a reduced forward feed, or if theobstruction is very great, the entire cessation of such forward feed.

The form of strap brake preferred by us is illustrated in the drawings,the brake being formed in two semi-circular sections f, J, said sectionsbeing cast to shape, and therefore made of great strength and sufficientrigidity, and one section being mounted on the resistance plate D by thebolt G while the other section is loosely secured thereon by the bolt 9passing loosely through a hole in one flange f in one strap section andscrewing into a flange f on the other strap section. This bolt gprovides for the adjustment of the two strap sections according to thedesired friction between the brake and nut, and provides for the takingup of wear.

At the opposite end of one strap section f is the yoke n within whichthe lug n on the other strap section enters, and mounted on was the yoken is the cam shaft 10 carrying the cam 19, said cam shaft being turnedby the hand lever G. It will be seen that by the turning of said camshaft and the cam thereon through the hand lever the two strapsectionsff' of the brake may be caused to bear with varying pressuresupon the annular friction surface m of the nut, and in that way the nutmay be held by a strong frictional bearing to the resistance platethrough the strap brake and enabled to resist the frictional actionbrought thereon through the pressure of the threaded shaft A, with theresuit that the machine will be fed forward for the full length of thethreads of the central cutter shaft A so long as the nut is heldstationary by the strap brake.

The operation of the improvement may be briefl y described as follows:Through the gearing connecting the engine and the central cu'tter shaftA that shaft is turned continuously. When it is desired to feed thecutter frame forward, the operator, through the hand lever G and the cam19 turned thereby, causes the strap brake to bear with the desiredfrictional force upon the friction surface m of the nut, in which case,as the nut is held stationary against all'ordinary force brought by thecutter shaft upon it, the cutter shaft and its frame are fed forward forthe full thread of the shaft. If, however, the cutter frame strikes anysulphur balls or other substances offering extraordinary resistance thisresistance is transmitted through the cutter frame and its shaft to thenut and sufficient friction created between the shaft and nut toovercome partially or entirely the frictional action of the strap brakeupon the nut, so that the feeding action is either diminished while thatshaft is turned, soenabling the machine to cut through such hardersubstance with a slower feed and less strain upon the cutters and cutterframe, or, if the resistance is too great, the feeding ceases and injuryto the cutters and cutter frame or the gearing is prevented, so that theoperator can stop the machine, and, if necessary, remove the sulphurballs or other hard substance by hand.

During this operation of the machine, as the natural frictional actionbetween the nut and main frame is overcome through the ballbearing 0entire frictional control of the nut is obtained by means of the strapbrake, and the operator can regulate such frictional control and thefeed of the machine by the simple means of the hand lever, the machineaccording to the class of coal to be cut, whether soft; or hard, beingthus within the control of the operator.

In this class of massive and heavy machinery, by the employment of thesectional strap brake held from turning upon the resistance plate asufficiently strong braking mechanism for sustaining all strains may beobtained, as the parts of the brake may be formed of strong castings,and the wear on such parts through the braking action may be providedfor, if de- Ito sired, in the bodies of the two strap sections,

this being of importance in providing for the durability of this part ofthe machine.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination ofa main frame having a driving engine thereon, arotating cutter frame having a horizontal axial threaded shaft mountedin the main frame and gearing between the engine and said shaft, aresistance plate supported on the mainframe, a nut engaging with thethreaded shaft and supported against and extending through theresistance plate and having an annular friction surface back of thesame, a strap brake mounted onithe resistance plate back of the same andfitting around the friction surface of the nut, and a hand levercontrolling the strap brake, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a main frame having a driving engine thereon, acutter frame having a horizontal axial threaded shaft mounted in themain frame and gear connections beplate, the strap brake F formed of twostrap sectionsfif, one section being mounted on the resistance plate bythe bolt G, and the other section secured thereto by the bolt g, onesection having a yoke n having a cam 19 mounted therein and the othersection Ihaving a lug n with which such cam engages, and ahand leveroperating said cam, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK K. COPELAND. WALTER VIELHABER.

Witnesses:

EDWIN H. KNIGHT, THOS. L. DEE.

